Please, please, please. If you are coming to me with a product that you want my client to buy to advertise in, please tell me why you are at least some of the following:
-You perform stronger than others in your category
-You are easier to buy/use than others
-You can bring better insight for my client
-You are more efficient in cost, reach, or optimization
-You more pleasing to the eye for consumers to interact with
Something!
Don’t just come to me and say, “We can do exactly what the competition that you’re already using is doing.”
Not that a rep did that this week. It’s just that I had to pull it out of him why his product was better than the competition. I literally had to ask, “What benefit are you bringing to my client that the others cannot do? Why would I care to switch?”
And the answer I got was only somewhat believable. I just have to go back to the competition and ask if they can or can’t do it, too. Which I will.
Cold? Maybe. Honest? Most definitely.
PS – I’d like to shout out to my friend and baby duckling, Jeff, who just started his own blog. So far, his second post is a good primer and How To on Google Paid Search Ad Writing. Maybe if he gets people to follow him, he’ll stick with it, and let me ride on the coat tails of his future career as a Social Media guru. You’ll find his blog here and in my blog roll.
Patti is still learning 
Woot! Thanks Patti for the Shout out!
Jeff! Getting the shout out! Keep up the good work! Patti, I enjoyed this last post, mainly because I deal with all our sales people. Some need to be taught how to fish!